For many reasons, users of computer application programs, such as word processing, database, and spreadsheet programs, have desired the ability to highlight particular text displayed on a computer display screen. Many application programs include utilities, such as bolding and italicizing utilities, that allow selected text of a document to be highlighted on a display screen and on a printed paper copy. While such highlighting utilities have proved useful, many users have found existing highlighting utilities to be inadequate for several reasons.
First, some users have desired more highlighting utilities, in addition to the conventional bolding and italicizing. For example, many application programs are now directed primarily to children, who often enjoy many special effects and new features. It is unlikely that many children find the existing highlighting utilities to be new and exciting. In addition, it is likely that many adults would also find other highlighting utilities to be enjoyable and useful.
Second, some users would like to display highlighted text and print the text without highlighting, but existing highlighting utilities, such as bolding and italicizing, alter the way that the text is both displayed and printed. In fact, one reason why more highlighting types have not been created might be because developers thought that users would want to print any highlighting that was displayed, but printer technology did not allow some other highlighting types to be printed. However, as computer networks have proliferated, many documents, such as electronic mail, are passed between users without being printed. As a result, users may wish to highlight certain portions of text with new highlighting types without concern about whether the highlighting type could be printed. In addition, many users, particularly children, enjoy displaying fancy text and graphics, without caring whether such text and graphics can be printed.
Third, existing highlighting features are static in nature. That is, when a user alters a text portion with an existing highlighting feature, such as bolding, the highlighted text remains highlighted until the user manually turns off the highlighting feature. It is well known that a dynamic feature, such as a flashing traffic light, stands out more than a static feature like bolding.